


Hot Rod (Reluctantly) Joins the Team

by seanknits (Maymot97)



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Amica Endurae, Cybertronian Reproduction, Gen, Hot Rod is a Neutral cybertronian, M/M, Sparklings, he and optimus don't have a great relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-19 16:17:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20660108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maymot97/pseuds/seanknits
Summary: Hot Rod knows who he is and what he's about. Sometimes he wishes he didn't, but what're you gonna do? But he soon finds himself unable to run away from what's been plaguing him his whole life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So i've got this big ole idea about a Transformers Prime thing with some MTMTE characters thrown in for good measure, so expect like some of the others to show up at some point (assuming I ever write more...)
> 
> Rating and categories may change. i don't know for sure.

It’s not as if he doesn’t know. He does. He knows.

It’s more like, he wishes he didn’t. 

He’s glad that his colors take after Optimus more—red looks good on him. Every time he catches a glimpse of his eyes he sighs in relief. Blue.

The purple and the silver—tattooed gold—do as well, which doesn’t sit well with him.

So yeah, he knew. But no one else had to.

—-

His brothers-in-arms don’t know that he’s Optimus’ offspring. To them, he’s just Hot Rod, hotheaded and impulsive. Only Ultra Magnus knows. Ultra Magnus knows everything.

But to Bulkhead and Wheeljack and Whirl and all the others—he’s just Hot Rod. There’s no prestige in being Hot Rod.

And for the whole entire war, he keeps it that way. He keeps his heritage a secret. He’s just a soldier. He tells everyone he’s from Nyon. They believe him.

He can feel Ultra Magnus’ disapproval radiating off of him. 

He feels it especially hard the day that his secret comes out and he abandons the Wreckers.

——

Earth, he decides while driving through a corn field, is a nice place.

The air is nice, the plants are nice, the colors are nice. Everything is nice, even if the people aren’t always. He loves it.

The vehicons sneak up on him—more accurately he’s not paying attention and thus doesn’t notice their arrival. But he fights them off as best as he can, which is very well. He’s vaguely aware that a ground bridge has opened up behind him when the last vehicon falls.

He doesn’t turn around, doesn’t want to know if it’s friend or foe. He’d rather just be shot in the back if it’s the latter.

He whirls around when he hears a voice he hasn’t heard in years say his name.

Standing there, bigger than life, is Bulkhead. He seems confused, but after the abruptness of Hot Rod’s departure he doesn’t blame him. 

Hot Rod throws caution at the wind and barrels at Bulkhead, jumping up a bit—for the offspring of two giant mechs he’s surprisingly short—and hugging Bulkhead, wrapping his legs around his midsection as best he can. Bulkhead puts an arm under his thighs to steady him.

“What’re you doing here?” Bulkhead asks, laughing through his words. Through their amica bond Hot Rod can feel how happy he is to see him.

“Just passing through,” Hot Rod mumbles as he places himself back on the ground. “I’m meeting some bots away from here and thought I’d make a pit stop.”

Bulkhead looks ready to respond, but a voice is cleared behind him. Both mechs look to find Optimus staring firmly at Hot Rod.

“We will discuss this back at base,” he says before turning away and calling for another ground bridge.

Hot Rod scowls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parent child arguments in front of the team are never comfortable.

The first person Hot Rod is met with on the other side of the ground bridge is Ultra Magnus. He stares at Hot Rod blankly, his mouth set in a firm line. After a second the tension around his eyes fades away only enough for Hot Rod to catch.

“It pleases me that you are okay,” he says, pitching his voice low, talking only to Hot Rod.

Hot Rod smirks. “Can’t get rid of me that easy, Magnus.”

Ultra Magnus shakes his head, his expression barely traveling across the line between professionalism and fondness.

Optimus approaches them. He doesn’t look at Hot Rod, his eyes focused only on Ultra Magnus. 

“Ratchet requires your assistance,” he says. 

Ultra Magnus, for once in his life, looks like he wants to argue, but after a quick glance at Hot Rod he doesn’t.

Which leaves Optimus and Hot Rod staring at each other, a thinly veiled hostility sparking in the air between them.

Hot Rod is vaguely aware that another Autobot has entered the hangar, accompanied by several humans. He’s aware that he is surrounded by Autobots—not that he feels threatened by them, but he doesn’t want anything to with them. Ironically, his autonomy feels threatened.

Hot Rod breaks the silence. “What do you want?”

Optimus doesn’t say anything for a second. He doesn’t want this to escalate into a fight—every interaction he and Hot Rod have had since Hot Rod came online has been a fight.

Unfortunately he picks probably the worst way to respond to his question.

“Rodimus—“

“No.”

Hot Rod’s face is pinched in anger and he’s got his hands balled into fists at his side. 

There are eyes on him, both human and Cybertronian, but Hot Rod can’t find it in him to care. He’s not going to let the eyes of others stop him from voicing his opinion. This might be Optimus Prime but he’s still Hot Rod’s sire.

“I’m not your mini-me. I’m not one of your Autobots anymore,” he says, his voice just under a shout. The place on his chest where he removed his autobrand tingles ever so slightly as he speaks. “You can’t order me around and you can’t—“

“I may not be your leader, but I am still your sire.”

Hot Rod has to resist the urge to stomp his foot. “Yeah, and a whole lot of good that’s done me! Guess what! I can’t be under your thumb forever.”

With that he turns and stomps out of the hangar, leaving several stunned people in his wake.

Optimus makes to follow him, but Bulkhead cuts him off, hands raised in a placating manner.

“I’ll go calm him down, Optimus,” he says. “I’m his amica. He’s more likely to listen to reason if it comes from me.”

Optimus frowns but nods his head.

Ultra Magnus looks on from where he stands next to Ratchet, who has witnessed this fight so many times that he’s no longer bothered by it.

It is Miko who breaks the tense silence. 

“What just happened?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one took a while to get up, i've been really busy lately with law school and stuff

Hot Rod hasn’t gone far—really he’s just walked to the other side of the hangar, where he sits on the ground, legs outstretched in front of his and arms crossed across his chest.

Bulkhead shakes his head as soon as he sees him. “You look like a angry sparkling, Roddy.”

Hot Rod just shrugs his shoulders. 

Bulkhead sits down next to him. “I know that it getting out that your Optimus’ offspring is why you left the Wreckers.”

Hot Rod deflates, his arms coming down in front of him so that his hands rested on the ground. “I didn’t want you to think any different about me.”

Bulkhead rolls his eyes. “We wouldn’t have—we didn’t. You’d already proved yourself as a capable warrior by then. And obviously, Ultra Magnus knew.”

Hot Rod smirks and lets out a little huff. “Magnus knows too much about me.”

Bulkhead bumps their shoulders together lightly. “So…were the rumors true?”

Hot Rod raises an eyebrow and side eyes his friend. “What rumors?”

“Y’know that—that you and Ultra Magnus…”

Blushing, Hot Rod looks away. “I mean it’s not—we’re not—well we weren’t—not during—“

Bulkhead starts bursts out laughing. “So you and Ultra Magnus are a thing?”

His arms come back up to wrap around his chest. “Yes, Ultra Magnus and I are conjunx. Please don’t tell Optimus. I don’t want to hear about it or get him in trouble.”

“Why would Optimus care?”

“I don’t know! He’s just so fucking…infuriating!”

Bulkhead puts a hand on Hot Rod’s shoulder, and slowly draws him closer to rest against Bulkhead’s side. “Why does Optimus want to keep you under his control so badly?”

Hot Rod sighs. “He’s afraid of me turning out too much like my carrier.”

“Oh?”

“Short lived relationship, my carrier left me with Prime after I emerged, he then became a ‘con. Prime is afraid that I’m going to turn that way.”

“You’re the last bot I could ever see becoming a ‘con!”

Hot Rod huffs out a laugh and sits up again. “Thanks, Bulk. I guess we should head back in?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy an exposition chapter. It's mostly exposition for the sake of the kids, so you've probably heard it but I like it.

Optimus, uncharacteristically, doesn’t answer Miko before leaving the hangar. He doesn’t go in the same direction as Hot Rod and Bulkhead, so no one follows him. Inside the hangar is quiet for several seconds before Ratchet sighs and looks over at Miko, Raf, and Jack.

“Hot Rod is Optimus’ offspring,” he starts, though by the looks on the children’s faces they’re gonna need a bit more than that.

“You guys can reproduce?” Raf asks, his eyes wide.

Ratchet nods. “Yes. It’s rare, and often dangerous, but yes.”

“And Hot Rod is Optimus’ son?” comes from Jack.

Ratchet looks a little uncomfortable. “Gender is a complicated idea among Cybertronians, but I suppose? You will have to ask him about that.”

“If Hot Rod is Optimus’ offspring, wouldn’t Optimus be happy to see him?” Raf asks.

“He is, trust me,” Ratchet says, glancing around to see who’s still in the hangar. Only Ultra Magnus. “Optimus and Hot Rod don’t have the best relationship. Due to circumstances surrounding Hot Rod’s emergence, Optimus is afraid that he’s going to lose him. Thus he tries to keep Hot Rod under his watch.”

“Hot Rod is too much of a free spirit for Prime’s liking,” Ultra Magnus pipes up. “He fit in well among the Wreckers.”

Miko’s eyes light up. “He was a Wrecker!?”

“Yes. For a time.”

“Why’d he leave?”

Ultra Magnus looks around at her. “It got out that he was Prime’s offspring, and he was afraid that the others would treat him differently. Of course, I already knew.”

Ratchet laughs lightly. “Everybody of a certain rank did. I’m not surprised that he became neutral.”

“Neutral?” Jack asks. 

“Neither Autobot nor Decepticon. The longer the war went on the more cybertronians left the ranks. The reason our ranks are so small here is because there aren’t as many combatants as there used to be, and not all are gone because they’ve died.”

From the door, Ultra Magnus makes a noise, and when everyone looks back at him, they see that Hot Rod has returned and burrowed himself into Magnus’ chest. Ultra Magnus has his arms wrapped around the smaller bot. Though his face is just as impassive as ever, there’s a certain softness to it that’s not usually there.

Ratchet shakes his head. “Optimus isn’t going to like this.”

Everyone jumps when Mike shouts, “Hey! Hot Rod! How many ‘cons have you blown up in one go?”


End file.
